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Long-Term Volunteering in Kenya

You can join our Long Term Volunteer Projects depending for any time between 1-12 months. These projects are a non-formal international learning experience which help to develop a volunteer’s sensitivity towards social and cultural differences, build self-confidence and improve your problem solving ability. Long term volunteering is individual rather than in groups. You are immersed in the local culture to a much greater extent allowing you to integrate better with the local community and actually become part of it. Over time you can learn the local language, make friends and better understand the needs and problems of the locals. This enables you to take a more active role in the running of the project by implementing their own ideas for accomplishment of better outcomes. All programs are organized in cooperation with our local partners.

You can find the details of every project below to choose the project that suits you best.

There will be an orientation seminar for new volunteers lasting three days including Nairobi city introduction. Our monthly orientation seminar starts on the first Monday every month. It would be good if the volunteers can arrive at least one day before the orientation starts.

CIVS Kenya organizes tours and safaris to spectacular sites of interest in Kenya. Volunteers, who wish to participate, should let us know as soon as possible in order to enable us to make proper arrangements. The fee charged is all-inclusive of meals, transport, park entry fees, accommodation and tour guiding. The cost of a 3 days safari to Masai Mara National Reserve is 330 Euro. It includes:

Day 1: Nairobi - Masai Mara

Your Safari to Maasai Mara National Park will start in the morning in Nairobi. From here you will be driven across the floor of the Great Rift Valley and the Loita Plains to arrive in Maasai Mara for lunch. In the evening you can enjoy a game viewing drive till 06:00 pm. Afterwards dinner will be served in the camp or lodge you have chosen for your overnight stay.

Day 2: Masai Mara

On the second day you have a game viewing drive in the morning and in the evening. You will return to the camp or lodge for your meals and overnight stay.

Day 3: Masai Mara - Nairobi

Day three starts with a pre-breakfast game viewing drive in the early morning to see the predators hunting. Your own breakfast will be waiting for you when you come back to your camp or lodge. Afterwards you depart back to Nairobi with a stopover for lunch on the way. In the late afternoon you will arrive in Nairobi.

Our Long-Term Programs

The Center serves as a One-Stop-Shop offering a variety of services to the local community, the centre is equipped with training facility provides capacity building opportunities in Agriculture, Entrepreneurship and providing venue for community groups meeting.

The Project

The Ahero Resource Center is located in Ahero, Kisumu County. The Ahero Resource Center started by CIVS is located in Ahero, about 25km east of Kisumu town. The Center serves as a One-Stop-Shop offering a variety of services to the local community.

The centre is equipped with training facility provides capacity building opportunities in Agriculture, Entrepreneurship and providing venue for community groups meeting. The in-class training is complemented by practical learning on the adjacent Farmer Field School i.e. a model Farm which encompasses a Greenhouse, open farm and Poultry house that provide practical examples of modern farming practices. The Ahero Resource Centre is also equipped with comprehensive rainwater harvesting infrastructure to fully utilize the short and heavy rains in the region.

From time to time depending with the availability of funds, 30 school going Orphans and Vulnerable Children get a free lunch at the center to improve their concentration and school performance. Additionally a borehole provides a reliable and affordable source of safe water for the community. The construction of two water kiosks in the wider area connected with the borehole will improve accessibility to clean and safe water in the community significantly.

Location

Ahero, Kisumu County

Volunteer Tasks

Working in the Model Farm of the center and helping to improve the agricultural methods, crops, etc.

Promotion of the centers agricultural activities in the community

Improving the record keeping of the centers activities

Assisting in preparation of meals for OVC feeding program

Supporting promotion of the Ahero resource Center and its activities

Accomodation and Food

The volunteer will stay in a host family near the project site. The host family will provide breakfast and dinner.

The school therefore offers formal learning in the mornings while there are non-formal education courses in the afternoon (dress making, beat making, etc). These courses are primarily focusing on the provision of practical vocational skills to enable the children/ youth gain employment on the job market later on.

The Project

The Bishop J Waichere Center School was founded to provide children from poor families who cannot afford school fees the possibility to attend secondary education. The school therefore offers formal learning in the mornings while there are non-formal education courses in the afternoon (dress making, beat making, etc). These courses are primarily focusing on the provision of practical vocational skills to enable the children/ youth gain employment on the job market later on. Part of the pupils live in the school while others or coming from outside for the classes.

Location

The project is located in Maai Mahiu, Limuru County.

Volunteer Tasks

Assisting in preparation and serving of meals at the school

Assisting in teaching (Maths, English, science)

Using sports, dancing painting activities to develop creativity in the children

Assisting in privation of vocational training courses

Accomodation and Food

The volunteer will live with a host family near the project site. The host family will provide breakfast and dinner.

Brownhill Secondary School is a secondary school that enhances quality of education offered in Kayole, and improves the transition rate of students joining public universities. In addition to academic mission, the school aims at nurturing of talents of some former school dropout teenagers.

The Project

Brown Hill Group is a registered CBO under the Ministry of Social Services. The group was registered in Embakasi District to offer community services to the interests of Embakasi people in the year 2013. After its registration, the group immediately embarked on running an education facility that best suits the interest of its community members.

The group undertook the setting up of a secondary school that would enhance quality of education offered in Kayole, and improve the transition rate of students joining public universities. The project took off in January 2012 with only 4 students. Since then, the institution has grown with total admissions reaching over 80 students after only a year in operation.

In addition to academic mission, the school aims at nurturing of talents of some former school dropout teenagers. As a result, the school football team became Embakasi District champions and proceeded to Nairobi County games.

Accomodation and Food

Their main objective is to make education accessible to the underprivileged children regardless of their religious, ethnic or racial backgrounds.

The Project

Child Regional Education Support Services (CRESS) is a non-profit, Community based organization founded and registered in 2011. It operates in four slums in Eastern Nairobi, namely Korogocho, Kariobangi, Mathare and Gomongo. The organizations main objective is to make education accessible to the underprivileged children regardless of their religious, ethnic or racial backgrounds. CRESS also seeks to protect the children’s rights, build confidence in them, ensuring that the children grow into responsible adults who will bring positive change in the society. Furthermore CRESS empowers the community through various interventions such as providing educational support services, study desks, books and other basic learning materials to students, giving sanitary pads to girls, organizing environmental activities and holding awareness programs on HIV/AIDS in various slum schools.

Accomodation and Food

We are seeking for a volunteer who is has knowledge in writing proposals for funding in order to support some of our projects.

The Project

CIVS Kenya is a community development agency operating especially in the marginalized and poverty-stricken rural areas of Kenya. We pursue an integrated socio-economic and cultural development approach in the fight against poverty and social exclusion of Kenyan communities under the maxim “DEVELOPMENT BY PEOPLE”. We believe that people should retain the responsibility for their own development while CIVS supports, guides and mentors their efforts with innovative and customized high quality services. We are looking for two volunteers to support our head office in Nairobi. Depending on your skills and area of interest you can help us to improve our online appearance, specifically in two areas:

Accomodation

The mission of this group is to spearhead implementation of community health conservation projects. This to create a better life for community in western Kenya.

The Project

Community Health Volunteers (CHV) is a community based organization established in 2006 by Kenyan volunteers operating within Kakamega East District. The organization is situated at Virhembe Market and focuses on fighting HIV/AIDS and other health issues. The mission of this CHV is to spearhead implementation of community health conservation projects in order to create a better life for communities in Western Kenya.

The organization pursuits the aim of expanding capacities of the community in regards to dealing with HIV/AIDS. It seeks to design and implement quality HIV/AIDS interventions, as well as to support people living with HIV/AIDS by increasing access and improving the quality of healthcare and referral services for them through increased linkages with the Ministry of Health. The group also aims to promote safe sexual behavior and practice among youth and vulnerable groups. Community Health Volunteers in collaboration with DANIDA are establishing a dispensary and a computer-training center that will be serve as a learning center for the youth. This will be the only dispensary and resource center within this area.

Location

Vihrembe Market, Kakamega

Volunteer Tasks

Assisting the medical staff of the dispensary

Supporting the computer-training center by providing basic computer skills to community members

School outreach programs; Awareness creation in the community on sexual and reproductive health

Accomodation

The volunteer will live in a host family near the project site. Breakfast and dinner will all be provided by the host family and volunteers will get lunch at the project.

Qualification

Volunteers with computer skills as well as those in the medical field (doctors, nurses, etc) are needed for this project. It is necessary that you should have high motivation and lots of initiative to implement the objectives of the project. You should be ready for any kind of work.

The main goal of this project is to support, nurture and improve the lives of Orphans and children that have been subjected to poverty and abuse by providing them with food, shelter and education.

The Project

Denrow Junior School was formed to address the social issues that affecting the children. The main goal of this project is to support, nurture and improve the lives of Orphans and children that have been subjected to poverty and abuse by providing them with food, shelter and education.

The environment provides physical and emotional support, spiritual nurturing and lots of tender loving care. We encourage and give hope to each and every child and we assist them to know that we loves them. With the right help and committed support we help these children turn their lives around. The project believe that every child deserves the best start in life and a chance to fulfill their potential we therefore support them, stand up for them and bring out the best in each and every child.

The project aims to serve the poor and vulnerable by facilitating access to basic health, social and economic needs through capacity building, advocacy and skill development as a means to reduce poverty, discrimination, encourage talent and improve the quality of their lives.

Location

The project is located in Mtopanga Location, Mombasa County.

Volunteer Tasks

Taking care of the children as well as playing with them

Feeding the children

Ensuring the surroundings are clean

Helping the children with homework

Fund raising activities

Accomodation and Food

The volunteer will live with a host family near the project site. The host family will provide breakfast and dinner.

Emmanuel's New Hope Rescue Center aims to give the children a place of peace and happiness where they can grow up in safety and are provided with quality accommodation and basic needs like proper nutrition as well as high-quality education.

The Project

Emmanuel's New Hope Rescue Center aims to give children living in Soweto Slum a place of peace and happiness where they can grow up in safety through provision of accommodation and basic needs like proper nutrition as well as high-quality education.

Founded in 2007, The Emmanuel's New Hope Rescue Center (ENHRC) is a community-based organization registered with the aim of giving hope to children whose hope seemed cut off by poverty, crime and HIV/AIDS. The organization started as a support center for orphans and vulnerable children. The main aim was to give them the opportunity to go to school as well as to provide basic needs like food and clothes. In total, ENHRC has 53 kids and 34 of them live at the center. The center has several programs e.g. school program, youth program, feeding program and counseling program.

Emmanuel’s New Hope Rescue Center aims to give the children a place of peace and happiness where they can grow up in safety and are provided with quality accommodation and basic needs like proper nutrition as well as high-quality education.

Location

Soweto Slum in Embakasi, Nairobi County

Volunteer Tasks

Assist in cooking of meals for the children

Develop and deliver creative arts and study activities with the kids

Playing with the kids

Support the cleaning of the accommodation

Support fundraising activities of the center

Accomodation

The volunteer will stay in a host family in Buruburu near the CIVS office. The host family will provide breakfast and dinner.

Fortune Learners’ Center is a school located in sprawling Kayole Estate, Eastern part of Nairobi. It focuses on children from extremely poor backgrounds.

The Project

Fortune Learners Centre is a project that was started in 2013 as a charity organization by 10 people from Kayole and Soweto slums who were working in various schools as untrained teachers. Their motivation is drawn by watching their former schools sending away vulnerable children from school due to lack of school fee. They thought how they could better the lives of this bright poor children whom some resorted to begging in the streets, the females ones resorted to child prostitution. After the close of schools in term three in 2012, the untrained teachers agreed to start a community centre to provide education, economic empowerment and HIV and AIDS education including psychosocial support to the orphans and vulnerable children and their caregivers.

Fortune’s core projects are Education, Orphan Support and Protection, Economic Empowerment for older orphans and caregivers, Volunteer/Internships, Educational Trips, Sports HIV &AIDS Education and Gender Based Violence. The school hosts nearly 100 children from extremely poor backgrounds, aged between 3 and 12 years. The children attend classes from form 1 to 6. The school has seven teachers and eight classes.

Location

Kayole district, Nairobi County

Volunteer Tasks

Assisting in teaching English, Mathematics, Social Sciences and creative arts

Supporting early early childhood development through age appropriate games & activities

Helping in the school kitchen with preparation of food

Assisting with administrative work of the school

Providing HIV/AIDS awareness lessons to the pupils

Accomodation

The volunteer will stay in a host family in Buruburu near the CIVS office. The host family will provide breakfast and dinner.

The Centre was started and registered 2004 in response to the needs of the orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Soweto Slum. It provides the children with food, security, shelter and education.

The Project

Soweto Slums Good Samaritan Orphans and Destitute Children's Centre is a community based organization. The Centre was started and registered 2004 in response to the needs of the orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Soweto Slum. The Centre started with two children who were abandoned by their parents and rescued by the area district officer officials and brought to the founder’s house. It is now of 61 children both boys and girls. These are either orphans or abandoned children.

The children have been orphaned for a multitude of reasons – although a majority are due to the HIV epidemic, poverty and unwanted pregnancies. The children’s circumstances and histories are as different as their personalities- but now they have the optimism and opportunity for a more positive future. The dedicated caregivers at Good Samaritan are working hard to provide the basics of life – shelter, security and food; however they are acutely aware that it is education which can break the cycle of poverty.

Kenya has over one million orphans and vulnerable children living in children’s homes, which are predominantly privately funded and operated, there is little government assistance. Good Samaritan founded six years ago and to date receives no stable funding. From time to time they receive donations of food items and clothing from people in the local community.

The caregivers at the orphanage are dedicated and loving, doing the best they can with the little resources they have. At the very least they are providing these children with a stable family environment. The children are between 6 months to 17 years and are all attending a formal education.

Location

Nairobi, Soweto Slums, Eastern Nairobi

Volunteer Tasks

Assisting in feeding of children

Educate children and

Provide guidance and counseling services

Playing with the children

Helping the children with homework

Accomodation

The volunteer will live in a host family near the project site. Breakfast and dinner will be provided by the host family and volunteers will get lunch at the project.

The main goal of "Hope For Children In Kenya" is to provide care and support for orphans and vulnerable children.

The Project

Hope for Children Kenya was formed to address the social issues that affect children in the society. The main goal of this project is to support, nurture and improve the lives of Orphans and children that have been subjected to poverty and abuse by providing them with food, shelter and education.

The environment provides physical and emotional support, spiritual nurturing and lots of tender loving care. We encourage and give hope to each and every child and we assist them to know that we loves them. With the right help and committed support we help these children turn their lives around. The project believe that every child deserves the best start in life and a chance to fulfill their potential we therefore support them, stand up for them and bring out the best in each and every child.

Location

The project is located in Njiru East, Ruai in the East of Nairobi

Volunteer Tasks

Preparing meals and feeding the children

Feeding the children

Ensuring the surroundings are clean

Helping the children with homework

Fund raising activities

Accomodation and Food

The volunteer will live in a host family in Buruburu near the CIVS Office. Breakfast and dinner will be provided in the host family. Volunteers will get lunch at the project site.

Kaya Kinondo ecotourism project is a pilot project that seeks to initiate and test the viability of ecotourism as a means of linking conservation to tangible social and economic benefits of local community.

The Project

Coastal Kenya has sacred forests called Kayas. These pockets of forest of 10 to 400 hectares found in the Kwale, Kilifi and Malindi districts of Coast Province and owe their existence directly to the cultural beliefs and history of the nine Coastal Mijikenda ethnic groups.

Kaya Kinondo ecotourism project is a pilot project that seeks to initiate and test the viability of ecotourism as a means of linking conservation to tangible social and economic benefits of local community. This conservation and development group started with the aim of coordinating conservation and development activities in the area. All incomes of the project go towards maintenance of the Kaya, cultural ceremonies, community projects such as schools and water projects. Finally, through a financial services association established by the community as part of the project, the project gives loans to community groups and individuals within the area to initiate income generating micro projects.

Accomodation

The project is a learning institution for secondary students comprising of 520 students, both boys and girls.

The Project

Kiereni Secondary School is a learning institution for secondary students comprising of 520 students, both boys and girls. The school has 12 classes and was established in 1987 by the PCEA church. The institution has both teaching staff as well as non-teaching staff, who have the responsibility to lead the students to become responsible people in society. It offers educational services that are relevant to the growth of the local community. The school offers boarding facilities to the students.

The school offers the Ministry of Education recommended curriculum with the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) as the final examination at the end of 4th year. Co-curricular activities include games and sports, drama, music, Scouting, Girl Guides, Science Congress and debating.

Location

Chuka, Tharaka-Nithi County

Volunteer Tasks

Assisting in teaching a subjects such as physics, biology, chemistry, English and Mathematics

Organizing, coordinating and participating in extracurricular activities like athletics, football and coordination of clubs in the school like scouting, drama, music

Supporting and developing the environmental conservation and farm work of the school

Accomodation and Food

The volunteer will live in a host family near the project site. Breakfast and dinner will be provided at the host family and volunteers will get lunch in the school.

This is a school and a home for children with disabilities located in the Eastern region of Kenya.

The Project

Volunteer in the Eastern region of Kenya and work with physically handicapped children in Kyale Small Home. This is a school and a home that was created in 1994. A primary school and Catholic Church surround this home, which currently houses 20 children. These kids are boys and girls aged 10 to 19. These children have suffered accidents, handicaps from or during birth, snakebites, and polio, among other disabilities.

This home was established to cater for the challenged children in the local community. Every child is entitled to better care and upbringing. In most Kenyan societies, the physically challenged children get stigmatization from other members of the community making them feel less than human. Most people speak Kikamba as a native language. Farming is widely practiced for a living e.g. livestock poultry, small-scale farming of maize, beans, coffee, sweet potatoes, bananas, and vegetables. The Catholic Church and a primary school surround the home. Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, may be seen from the home.

Location

The project is located at Nunguni, in the Eastern region of Kenya. Approximately 2 hours drive from Nairobi city.

Volunteer Tasks

Working in the home's kitchen and vegetable garden

Helping children study and play at home

Training the kids in creativity through games and doing handicraft work

Accommodation Food

The volunteers will be accommodated at the project institution where all meals shall be provided. There are pit latrines, bath shelters and a kitchen at the project available for use by the volunteers.

Maendeleo Learning Center embraces a holistic development of the affected children by molding them through education, training and protection to become valuable citizens to their community.

The Project

Maendeleo Learning Center embraces a holistic development of the affected children by molding them through education, training and protection to become valuable citizens to their community.

The Center was started in 2000 with the aim to uplift education standards within the community. The nursery school started with only 10 kids, later there was collaboration with the church, which offered the church hall for a fee after which the enrollment went up to 25 and classes increased from nursery to class 5. Many kids who are visiting the school had dropped out due to financial problems faced by their families. Maendeleo Learning Center kids are aged between 2-15 years for Pre-School to Standard 8. Now it has a population of 600 pupils. Currently the school is embarking on establishing a secondary school, called Reuben Community School.

Airport Transfer Upon Arrival and Departure

You will be piuck up from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi upon your arrival by a representative of CIVS Kenya. After welcoming you end suruing that your entuire luggade is there you will be brought to your host family where you will spent the first days during your orientation.

After the project we also will arrange for your airport drop off at JKIA in good time for your departure flight.

Orientation

All volunteers taking are provided with an upo to 3 day long Orientation at the CIVS office in Nairobi before the project. The orientation is given by our Kenya staff and covers everything you need to know for your volunteer program in Kenya – Introduction to Kenya, Kenyan Customs, Language Training Details, Rules and Expectations, Safety, Travel Opportunities in Kenya, Introduction to your project and placement. The orientation will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing. Once your orientation is complete, you will be transported to your homestay and introduced to your host family.

Food

You will be provided with three meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner), which is served at the homestays or directly at the project. Breakfast generally consists of chai (tea), toast and sometimes mandazzi (deep fried dough) and fruits. A typical lunch can include vegetables with rice, occasional meat and fruit. Dinner usually includes traditional food, such as ugali, chapatti, mboga and irio, sometimes alongside meat and vegetables. Bottled water is readily available in Kenya and volunteers should budget approximately US$5 per week for this (2 liters per day). If you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know when you apply for the program so we can make arrangements for you.

Accomodation

During your project you will be accommodated in a local host family or the project, who have been​ ​approved by our local ​team in Kenya. Volunteers can expect to share a bedroom​ ​​ other volunteers, comprised of single beds and bunk beds with​ ​bedding provided. ​I​t is important to note that​ ​there are often power outages and water shortages​, and ​​volunteers need to be prepared to have the occasional bucket shower or​​ ​some time without power.​ Some rural homestays and projects do not have electricity or running water​. In these locations you​ ​​can expect to find​ ​squat/long-drop toilets​.​

Our local team give your host family a fee for your support, food and board. It is exciting to​ ​stay with a host family, providing you with a​ ​unique opportunity to learn about the​ ​Kenyan way of life, meet local people, try local food, speak the local language and​ ​engage in local customs and traditions​.​​

Weekends and sightseeing

During the weekends, you will have free time to relax and explore Nairobi, wider Kenya and Eastern Africa. Sunday is a religious day of rest in Kenya. If you wish, you can accompany your host family to their local church, as a Kenyan church service is a unique and special experience for many volunteers.

During your project you can also take some time to travel around (e.g. Coast, Uganda or Tanzania), or to embark on a safari (e.g. Masia Mara, Amboseli). Kenya is Africa’s original safari destination and is famed for attracting explorers, adventurers, and travelers for centuries. From the shores of the Indian Ocean with its white sandy beaches and coral reefs to the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Kenya and the wild and vast deserts of the north, Kenya offers travelers a beauty and freedom which is hard to resist.

Magodo is a community-based organization that focuses on improving the lives of the less fortunate, vulnerable and destitute children in society.

The Project

Magodo Children's Home started in 1990 and registered as a community-based organization. Its main goal is to improve the lives of the less fortunate, vulnerable and destitute children in society. It serves 500 non-residential vulnerable poor children and orphans living with their relatives in the nearby slum. It further supports the 80 residential vulnerable orphans and destitute children of Magodo Children's Home and serves the community at large.

The Childrens’ Home offers shelter, food, clothing, medical care, rehabilitation and education. The complex Centre offers education – primary school (from grade 1 to 8), non-formal education, i.e., vocational training, technical training, HIV/AIDS campaigns, feeding programs, medical, clothing, sports, rehabilitation and counseling at the Center and through house-to-house outreach programs, seminars, workshops etc. Magodo's mission is to facilitate the provision of basic needs to vulnerable children and to further their education by supporting them spiritually, emotionally and psychologically to the best of our ability.

Location

Nairobi, Harambee Estate

Volunteer Tasks

Magodo's mission is to facilitate the provision of basic needs to vulnerable children and to further their education by supporting them spiritually, emotionally and psychologically to the best of our ability.

Volunteers will be involved in:

Taking care of the children as well as playing with them

Feeding the children

Assisting in preparation and serving of meals

Teaching English, Mathematics and Social Studies

Ensuring the compound is clean

Accomodation

The volunteer will live with a host family near the project site. The host family will provide breakfast and dinner.

Malia Children’s Home accommodates destitute children from all backgrounds and communities in Kenya, their mission is driven by the desire to help the less fortunate and down trodden in the Kenyan society.

The Project

Malia Children’s Home is a non-profit organization, which accommodates destitute children from all backgrounds and communities in Kenya. Driven by the desire to help the less fortunate and down trodden in the Kenyan society Mr. and Mrs. Nindi set up a home within their homestead to accommodate and shelter children in need.

In the year 2009 with the help of the clergy and the area chief, Malia Children’s Home was thus started with 5 children. Two years later, i.e. 2011, the home was registered as a charitable Children’s institution with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social development. It currently houses a total of 25 children who are between the ages of 2 years and 8 years.

The home is managed by an Executive Committee of 5 composed of the Patron, Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Committee representative, clergy and the Area Chief. The committee meets once every month to deliberate on upcoming issues at the secretariat and also give strategic directions in line with the institutions mission and vision. The home has employed 4 staff to run this programmes: A matron, two teachers and one social worker all of whom are qualified professionals and have undergone intensive training on child care and the national child protection policy. The secretariat is also tasked with the duty of liaising with the relevant Government institutions to ensure maximum standards of child protection and care are adhered to.

Apart from children’s welfare development, Malia Children Home engages in a number of activities for purposes of self-sustainability such as dairy farming, poultry farming, and drip irrigation.

Location

The project is located in Mua Hills, Machakos County.

Volunteer Tasks

Farming, digging clearing of bushes in the garden within the project

Taking care of the cattle and helping with the dairy farming

Feeding and taking care of the poultry

Feeding program and assisting with preparation and serving of meals to the orphans

Accomodation and Food

The volunteer will stay in a host family near the project site. Breakfast and dinner are provided in the host family and volunteers will get lunch at the Children Home.

Marianne Center was created to help individuals with disabilities and aged 16 to 50 years of age. This is a training center that offers support for these individuals and their families.

The Project

There are around 2.9 million individuals with various forms of mental disabilities in Kenya. These Kenyans face many obstacles in their daily lives since many communities still consider mental disability an ailment caused by witchcraft and black magic. These individuals are more than capable of developing useful skills given adequate support. The current education system is unable to support young adults who have mental disabilities since they cannot enrol in an ordinary secondary school and are often too old to attend primary schools.

Marianne Center began in 2010 to help individuals with disabilities aged 16 to 50 years. Marianne is a vocational training center that offers support for these individuals and their families. There are around 40 Kenyans enrolled in this center who have different disabilities including Autism and Down Syndrome. The students are divided and grouped into classes depending on their abilities so that they are trained on important vocational skills such as beadwork, baking, farming, activities of daily living among others.

The mission of this organization is to make a difference in the life of young adults with special needs and disabilities in order to be self-reliant and easily integrated into mainstream life without fear of stigmatization.

Accomodation

Migosi Family Hope Society is a Non-Governmental Organization that works towards the education of street children, children in the slum, women empowerment and agriculture.

The Project

Migosi Family Hope Society is a Non-Governmental Organization that works towards the education of street children, children in the slum, women empowerment and agriculture. It started as a self-help group in 2006 and now it has moved to a society with the aim of reaching the entire community. Their main purpose has always been to socialize, educate, empower and develop people through community work and charity. Migosi works with the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, Prisons Department and the Ministry of Children and Gender to help facilitate their programs in Kenya.

Location

Kisumu County, Kenya

Cost

First Month: 200€ Every consecutive month: 190€

Volunteer Tasks

Teaching a combination of science subjects and Mathematics as well as Music

Construction work

Environmental conservation and farm work

Help in the art and craft activities e.g. graffiti and paintings on shirts and papers

Airport Transfer Upon Arrival and Departure

You will be piuck up from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi upon your arrival by a representative of CIVS Kenya. After welcoming you end suruing that your entuire luggade is there you will be brought to your host family where you will spent the first days during your orientation.

After the project we also will arrange for your airport drop off at JKIA in good time for your departure flight.

Orientation

All volunteers taking are provided with an upo to 3 day long Orientation at the CIVS office in Nairobi before the project. The orientation is given by our Kenya staff and covers everything you need to know for your volunteer program in Kenya – Introduction to Kenya, Kenyan Customs, Language Training Details, Rules and Expectations, Safety, Travel Opportunities in Kenya, Introduction to your project and placement. The orientation will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing. Once your orientation is complete, you will be transported to your homestay and introduced to your host family.

Food

You will be provided with three meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner), which is served at the homestays or directly at the project. Breakfast generally consists of chai (tea), toast and sometimes mandazzi (deep fried dough) and fruits. A typical lunch can include vegetables with rice, occasional meat and fruit. Dinner usually includes traditional food, such as ugali, chapatti, mboga and irio, sometimes alongside meat and vegetables. Bottled water is readily available in Kenya and volunteers should budget approximately US$5 per week for this (2 liters per day). If you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know when you apply for the program so we can make arrangements for you.

Accomodation

During your project you will be accommodated in a local host family or the project, who have been​ ​approved by our local ​team in Kenya. Volunteers can expect to share a bedroom​ ​​ other volunteers, comprised of single beds and bunk beds with​ ​bedding provided. ​I​t is important to note that​ ​there are often power outages and water shortages​, and ​​volunteers need to be prepared to have the occasional bucket shower or​​ ​some time without power.​ Some rural homestays and projects do not have electricity or running water​. In these locations you​ ​​can expect to find​ ​squat/long-drop toilets​.​

Our local team give your host family a fee for your support, food and board. It is exciting to​ ​stay with a host family, providing you with a​ ​unique opportunity to learn about the​ ​Kenyan way of life, meet local people, try local food, speak the local language and​ ​engage in local customs and traditions​.​​

Weekends and sightseeing

During the weekends, you will have free time to relax and explore Nairobi, wider Kenya and Eastern Africa. Sunday is a religious day of rest in Kenya. If you wish, you can accompany your host family to their local church, as a Kenyan church service is a unique and special experience for many volunteers.

During your project you can also take some time to travel around (e.g. Coast, Uganda or Tanzania), or to embark on a safari (e.g. Masia Mara, Amboseli). Kenya is Africa’s original safari destination and is famed for attracting explorers, adventurers, and travelers for centuries. From the shores of the Indian Ocean with its white sandy beaches and coral reefs to the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Kenya and the wild and vast deserts of the north, Kenya offers travelers a beauty and freedom which is hard to resist.

New Alumni Educational Centre is a tuition center started on 10th February, 2011. The center reaches out to the less fortunate in our society and bringing their dreams into reality. We offer mentorship programmes to the students as well as hold social justice events at the school.

The Project

New Alumni Educational Center began as a tuition center on 10th February, 2011 as a tuition center teaching 2 children under a tree. Currently the center has a student population of 134 students from form 1 to form 4. There are 57 boys and 77 girls. A total number of 40 students are in the boarding section. The organization currently has a total number of 12 volunteering teaching staff members. The school is registered as a Community Based Organization under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development and the co-operation with the Ministry of Education. The vision of the center is to see a transformed society by nurturing global leaders with the character of God, who will effect positive change in their communities and the world at large. The center reaches out to the less fortunate in our society and bringing their dreams into reality. We offer mentorship programmes to the students as well as hold social justice events at the school.

The school offers the Ministry of Education recommended curriculum with the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination (KCSE) as the final examination at the end of 4th year. Co-curricular activities include games and sports, drama, music, Scouting, Girl Guides, Science Congress and debating.

Location

Ruaka at Racharage junction along Limuru Road, Nairobi, Kenya

Volunteer Tasks

The volunteers will engage in the following:

Assisting in teaching a subjects such as physics, biology, chemistry, English and Mathematics

Organizing, coordinating and participating in extracurricular activities like athletics, football and coordination of clubs in the school like scouting, drama, music

Accomodation

The volunteer will live in a host family near the project site where they will get breakfast and dinner and volunteers will get lunch in the school.

This iseducation centre offers preschool, primary education, social, economic and spiritual support to the orphans and vulnerable children within the surrounding community. The centre serves over 80 vulnerable children from Kamola slums and its neighborhood.

The Project

New Beginning Education Centre was founded in the year 2012 with an objective of offering preschool, primary education, social, economic and spiritual support to the orphans and vulnerable children within the surrounding community. The centre serves over 80 vulnerable children from Kamola slums and its neighborhood. It has five teachers who have a charitable heart of serving and transforming the lives of underprivileged children in Kamola slums and its environment.

Kamola slums is characterized by temporal structures made up of old iron sheets, ply wooden walls and cartons, poor sanitation and poor solid waste disposal. It is located along the bank of Ngong river, which is polluted with industrial wastes from industrial area. The people living in this area depend on casual jobs, small-scale businesses i.e. sale of drugs to earn a living and cater for their families’ needs. This has affected them so much that there is continued usage of drugs among the members of the community thus increasing drug and substance use among the youth and the community members. Young single mothers are also involved into prostitution as a means of providing for their children thus posing as a major threat to the spread of HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Because of these factors, there was the formation of the centre not only established to provide education but also to act as a centre of transforming the lives of the community members through participation in income generating activities and other community development projects as a way of rehabilitating the drug addicts, the infected and affected with HIV/AIDS hence offering an opportunity to alleviate poverty thus leading to a sustainable development.

Location

Kamola area, Embakasi, Nairobi County

Volunteer Tasks

Assisting in teaching of Mathematics, Arts, English, Social Studies and Science subjects

Engaging in extracurricular activities such as poems, skits, music, scouting and ball games

Offering of counseling programs to the orphans and vulnerable children

Feeding program where the volunteers will assist with preparation and serving of meals

Accomodation and Food

The volunteer will live with a host family near the project site. The host family will provide breakfast and dinner.

This is a children’s rescue home that was launched in the year 2015 to offer institutionalized services to rape and sexually assaulted survivors, treatment and rehabilitation of women alcoholics and substance abusers.

The Project

New Scent Centre International also carries out community outreaches for prevention, sensitization and awareness creation on sexual violence as a form of Gender Based Violence, alcoholism and substance abuse in pursuit of a healed and restored society. Kenya is creating a safe and caring space for 40 children who have been sexually assaulted and abandoned on the streets of Kenya. These girls have been rescued from some of the most horrible experiences you can imagine. At the New Scent Center, they have shelter, food and are receiving an education that gives them hope and opportunity. Flora Mwikali and her team are shepherds moving these young children from despair to hope. The staff walks the streets searching for children who have been cast away or have lost their families. It is a mission of Justice and Mercy.

New Scent Centre launched in the year 2015, is also involved in carrying out community outreaches for prevention, sensitization and awareness creation on sexual violence as a form of Gender Based Violence, alcoholism and substance abuse in pursuit of a healed and restored society.

Location

Tala Town, Kangundo Division, Machakos County

Volunteer Tasks

Preparing meals and feeding the children

Help the girls learn basic of primary education

Spend time with the girls to help them learn life skills

Counsel the girls- individual or group times

Using sporting activities to develop creativity in the children

Accomodation and Food

The volunteer will live with a host family near the project site. The host family will provide breakfast and dinner.

PEHUCCI aims to give kids and youth in Ruai area access to education so that they can be equipped with skills and ideas that can be used to better their lives hence making them better citizens of the society.

The Project

Peace Humanitarian Christian Centre International is a community initiative project that started in 1993 to empower orphaned and destitute children around Ruai location. The project aims to secure a brighter future for children through nutrition, education support and spiritual awareness. Apart from offering educational opportunities to the children, the center also aims at dealing with the vice of drug addiction and crime among the children and youth staying in the area.

Currently the centre has about 580 students from nursery to high school level who are aged between 3 to 18 years. The centre has 9 teachers and 2 non teaching staff. The centre has an orphanage where orphans and vulnerable children live. It also has a kiosk, which helps in sustaining the needs of the Orphans and vulnerable children.

The Centre also offers guiding and counseling sessions. It also offers vocational training to girls who have dropped out of school to attain skills in dress making which can help them acquire self-employment to sustain their livelihoods. The centre offers these through tailoring classes and salon lessons.

Location

Ruai, Nairobi County

Volunteer Tasks

Volunteers attached to this project will be expected to offer their services and skills in any of the following activities while in the project:

Assisting in teaching of nursery, lower and upper primary classes

Provide counseling sessions to the students

Working in the orphanage farm to improve farm output

Empowering the minors to be self reliant

Teaching tailoring skills to the students

Support the promotion of education and other related affairs in the community

Develop children’s’ creativity through sporting activities, drama and music

Fundraising activities for the project

Accomodation and Food

The volunteer will live with a host family near the project site. The host family will provide breakfast and dinner.

Quest For Happiness Ministry helps street children and orphans come out of vicious circle of poverty by providing them with love, shelter, food, clothing, education, health, security as well as spiritual nurture, this is the central purposes of our existence.

The Project

Quest for Happiness Ministry helps street children and orphans from Ruai, Nairobi come out of the vicious circle of poverty by providing them with love, shelter, food, clothing, education, health, security as well as spiritual nurture.

The center started as a feeding program for orphans and vulnerable children in Ruai. Every child received at least one meal per day, which was provided by the members of the local church. This went well for over a period of 2 years and 100 children were receiving free lunch and attended Sunday school classes. The pastor of the church and his wife managed the feeding program. After the pastor’s transfer to another church, the feeding program stalled and was at risk to stop completely. The children were stranded and about to drop out from school. Now, the couple decided to rent premises and open a center to accommodate, feed and educate the children. Step by step, toilet facilities, piped water and electricity were installed. Today, 25 children, who attend standard one to form two classes, call the center their home. Quest for Happiness seeks to bring up children with a balanced view of life, possessing appropriate ‘survival skills’, in order to cope in a competitive world, to foster positive expectations about their future.

Location

Ruai, Nairobi County

Volunteer Tasks

Empowering the minors to be self reliant through provision of life skills lessons

Helping in the kitchen with the preparation of food

Assist local volunteers in provision of basic needs to the children such as cooking, cleaning etc.

Accomodation and Food

Young Volunteers Development Workers Group (YUDWAG) is a community based organisation whose mission is to enable the youth, widows; people living with HIV/AIDS, orphans and vulnerable children within Nyanza Province achieve fullness of life and the integrity of creation through sustainable, participatory and integrated community development projects.

The Project

Star of The Morning Self Help Group was founded in the year 2005 with a major objective of uplifting the community members to be self-sufficient and self-reliant through sustainable development in the society. In 2006, Star of The Morning School was established as part of the project’s initiative to offer basic education and provision of basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, health care to the orphans and vulnerable children who were living within the community. The school hosts nearly 320 children from extremely poor backgrounds, aged between 5 and 14 years. The children attend classes from form 1-8 with a total of nine teachers.

The group also focuses on the needs among the youth, widows, and people living with HIV/AIDS to achieve fullness of life and the integrity of creation through sustainable, participatory and integrated community development projects. The group also has a small garden where they grow maize, beans, potatoes and tomatoes where they sell to provide food to the orphans and to promote self-sustainability.

Location

Kochieng' East location, Nyando district, Kisumu County

Volunteer Tasks

Volunteers attached to this project will be expected to offer their services and skills in any of the following activities while in the project:

Farmwork which includes digging, weeding and watering of crops

Assisting in teaching of Mathematics, Arts, English, Social Studies and Science subjects

Engaging in games and sporting activities such as football, volleyball

Accomodation and Food

The volunteer will live with a host family near the project site. The host family will provide breakfast and dinner.

Toto Angel Center provides a safe place where abandoned children can spend the day, get a warm meal, basic education and play. 22 children are currently enrolled in the centers pre-school group and another 8 are supported in local primary schools with books, tuition and lunch.

The Project

Toto Angel Center was founded in 2013. It is currently supporting 30 children between 3 - 12 years from a variety of backgrounds. The situation in Kayole Estate where the center is located is characterized by a high poverty rate, low education and marginalization of the community. Many vulnerable children are neglected and abandoned by their caregivers. Toto angel Center provides a safe place where children can spend the day, get a warm meal, basic education and play. 22 children are currently enrolled in the centers pre-school group and another 8 are supported in local primary schools with books, tuition and lunch. 11 of the children are without a caretaker and live at the center. In order to change the situation in the community the center has also started regular dialog & problem solving sessions as well as a soccer club for adults.

Location

The project is located in Kayole Estate, Nairobi County.

Volunteer Tasks

AssiAssisting in preparation and serving of meals

Assisting in provision of basic education to the children (simple maths, English, science)

Using sports, dancing painting activities to develop creativity in the children

Maintenance of the center

Support community engagement activities

Accomodation and Food

The volunteer will live with a host family near the project site. The host family will provide breakfast and dinner.

Young Volunteers Development Workers Group (YUDWAG) is a community based organisation whose mission is to enable the youth, widows; people living with HIV/AIDS, orphans and vulnerable children within Nyanza Province achieve fullness of life and the integrity of creation through sustainable, participatory and integrated community development projects.

The Project

Young Voluntary Development Workers Group (YUDWAG) is a community based organisation formed in 2000 with the Department of Social Development in Nyando Sub County, Kisumu County. The mission of this group is to enable the youth, widows; people living with HIV/AIDS, orphans and vulnerable children within Nyanza Province achieve fullness of life and the integrity of creation through sustainable, participatory and integrated community development projects.

The group also has a school; Charlotte Educational Centre that was established in the year 2014 with an objective of promoting education to the orphans and vulnerable children within the community so as to nurture them to be better persons in the society.

They also have a garden in the school where they grow variety of crops i.e. maize, beans, tomatoes and local vegetables and this is used to generate food and act as a platform to learning.

The activities include of this group include HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns, behavior change communication, home based care and support for families affected and those infected with HIV/AIDS, drug adherence counseling, OVC care and support activities; reproductive health promotion activities; malaria prevention; collaboration and networking with other development partners for resource mobilization towards the attainment of the Group’s objects.

Location

Kakola, Nyando, Kisumu County

Volunteer Tasks

Volunteers attached to this project will be expected to offer their services and skills in any of the following activities while in the project:

Assisting in teaching of nursery, lower and upper primary classes

Assist in preparing , meals to the orphans and vulnerable children

Provide counseling sessions to the students

Fundraising activities for the project

Accomodation and Food

The volunteer will live with a host family near the project site. The host family will provide breakfast and dinner.

Get in Touch!

+254 722 210968

info ( at ) civskenya ( dot ) com

What Volunteers Say

Both volunteering and exploring Kenya has been an amazing experience, even more so with the CIVS. Asante!!!

Giuseppe Luca, UK
2016

I had so many good moments in Kenya and learned a lot about life and cultures. Thank you and see you soon!

Anni, Finland
2015

The Community Development Project of CIVS is great. I learned so many things and could actually contribute with my skills knowledge to the project.

Emilii, Finland
May 8, 2015

Volunteering with CIVS has been a fantastic experience. I've developed new skills, made some great contacts and been able to support a great charity that is supporting local children.

Barnabas Harnes, United Kingdom
April 18, 2013

Everything was great..It s an unforgettable experience..I really enjoy a lot and created some very strong link. I will come back it for sure..Kenya is in my heart

Elisabeth, France
May 7, 2012

Wonderful voluntary project, wonderful safari, wonderful country!

Chenxin, China
June 17, 2013

A great experience thanks to a combination of both challenges and very rewarding experiences. Thank you very much!

Johannes, Germany
Nov 12, 2014

Very welcoming host family, interesting project, all in all unforgettable experience! Asante sana!"

Leonie, Germany
September 22, 2014

I'm glad that I had that special&wonderful experience to know the Kenyan lifestyle, I had a really good time here. Thanks for everything!

Vega, Peru
May 3, 2015

Very good experience, I loved children in the orphanage, I learned many new things and I'm happy to have share my time with those people!

Valerie Maine, Australia
June 23, 2015

It was a really great time and I wish I could have spent more time in Kenya and with the children in mz prject. I hope I can come back soon! Thanks for everything"

Jackie Terrie, USA
January 8 2016

I have absolutely loved volunteering for CIVS – I have met some incredible people, and felt part of a really supportive and lovely community. I am sad to be leaving at the end of this year!